


The Rights of Man

by Artemis_Egeria



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, I am going to will a happy ending into existence, Introspection, Post-Avengers 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-19 14:34:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16536440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis_Egeria/pseuds/Artemis_Egeria
Summary: Vision exercises his rights as a citizen. Post Avengers 4.





	The Rights of Man

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Vision Week on Tumblr for the prompt “humanity” for Tuesday, November 6. Also inspired by it being Election Day in the United States. To any registered and/or eligible voters reading this on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, please vote if you haven’t already and you can!

Vision is not human. He knows that. He is something other. He has synthetic cells and synthetic organs that mimic a human’s body, but he is also made of vibranium. His head is full of circuits and wires. He has instant access to the internet inside his mind, and an ancient cosmic stone sits in his forehead. He had risen from the Regeneration Cradle as a fully formed adult when his creation was complete. If it weren’t for the surge of power from Mjolnir, he is not certain what would have happened to his consciousness and his body.

And yet, here he is. Preparing to vote for the first time. It is such a human thing. Choosing one’s leaders to attempt to make the world a better place. Voting for politicians with proven track records of lying, but still hoping that they will fulfill their promises this time. Debating which policies are best, despite not having a full picture of all the factors that may affect those decisions.

After defeating Thanos and reviving him, the team had fought for the government to officially recognize his personhood and grant him full citizenship rights. Vision had been hesitant at first. He had passed the first few years of his existence without a declaration of his personhood. However, Wanda and Tony and all the others had all insisted that it was past time that the world at large recognized his personhood. 

That is why Vision sits poring over the official materials that New York’s Secretary of State had sent him. He chooses to read the information thoroughly, though he can get it all through other sources. He wonders if he should even rely on other sources to receive the information. On the one hand, it is best to have the most information possible before a decision is made. On the other hand, it is much easier for him to research statistics on incumbents’ voting patterns or the effects of certain policies than for the average person. Perhaps it would be better to limit himself to the information that every other person relies on. 

He spends many hours considering what to do. This responsibility is different from the responsibility he undertook as part of the Avengers. In some ways, it is of far less magnitude than fighting to save the world from Ultron or Thanos, but it is something that everyone can contribute to, no matter who they are. It is the clearest way most have to express their wishes for their countries and their communities. 

In the end, he decides that having the most of all possible information is the lesser evil. He compromises by creating a website that contains all the research he completed, in the hopes that others would come across it and make a more informed choice. Vision begins with New York, but as long nights stretch out in front of him and Election Day draws closer, he decides to compile the data for all the other state and national offices and ballot measures. 

When he finally goes to the polls, he takes the opportunity to be like everyone else. Very few people know about his human disguise, which is useful for privacy and undercover work, so he takes advantage of that, merely taking in the whole experience of waiting in line and listening to the burbling voices around him. Vision loves this anonymity. Though a persistent whisper in the back of his mind wonders what it would be like if he could truly be himself. 

When Vision reaches the front of the line, he gives the poll worker, whose name tag reads Marjorie, his legal name of Victor Shade. Marjorie notes his accent and asks if he only recently moved to the United States, smiling pleasantly at him. Though he feels somewhat guilty about misleading her, he merely answers (technically) truthfully that he is a new citizen.

As mutters grow behind them, Vision thanks Marjorie for his ballot and goes to one of the cubbies lined up around the room. Having already decided his votes ahead of time, the process of filling in the blanks takes only moments. Though he does double and triple check that he filled in the correct boxes and that they are evenly darkened, with no extraneous marks. 

Once he is satisfied, he feeds the ballot into a machine per the instructions of another poll worker, named Fred. Such pride to be part of the human community in this way fills him as Fred gives him a sticker proclaiming “I Voted,” forming a warm swell of emotion in his chest. The emotion leaks out in the form of a broad smile that he cannot tamp down. Vision continues smiling as he exits the polling place and walks down the street until he finds an out-of-the-way place where he can phase and rise into the air to fly back to the compound. 

Vision’s elevated mood lasts through the rest of the day, leaving the rest of the team regarding him with bemusement. He is certain that he has never smiled so widely and so long while going through new training exercises or cooking or sitting in the lounge playing chess with Rhodes. But he refuses to apologize for his elation. He carries it with him as a reminder that he is human in all the ways that matter.


End file.
